Bolea on the Ban of Moldovan Trucks Entering Russia: The Situation Highlights the Need to Rethink Our Approaches

Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Bolea stated that the ban on Moldovan trucks entering Russia has exposed vulnerabilities in logistics. According to him, long-distance road transport is economically unviable and needs to be reconsidered. The situation with the ban on Moldovan trucks entering Russia has revealed another problem. When alternatives were sought, it became clear that transporting goods over long distances by road is economically unfeasible and requires a rethinking of logistical approaches, said Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea in an interview on the program New Week with Anatolie Golea on TV8. “We sent official letters to the Russian Federation, but received no response. As of today, one of Moldova’s state-owned companies engaged in the export of wine and strong alcoholic beverages has reoriented its logistics: after the restrictions imposed by Russia, they now deliver the goods to Brest, Belarus, where they transfer them onto trains and send them on to Kazakhstan. As a result, they not only solved the transportation issue but also reduced costs, since rail transport is cheaper,” the minister noted. Bolea emphasized that many exporters have adapted to the new conditions and even benefited economically by reducing logistics costs. “In the future, we need to consider alternative methods of long-distance transportation — for example, to Kazakhstan or Mongolia, where we export grapes. Road transport always turns out to be much more expensive. (...) The cheapest delivery method is water transport. That’s why we’re focusing on the development of the state-owned port in Giurgiulesti. We are currently looking into the possibility of expanding its territory by incorporating adjacent land in order to improve infrastructure in the interests of both economic operators and the state as a whole,” Bolea stressed.